20th Annual Actual Innocence
Lessons, Legacies, and the Path Forward
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Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Grant Staff: +1.972.244.3428
Registrar: +1.972.244.3404
E-Mail: mhooper@cailaw.org
Overview
Co-Sponsored with Texas A&M School of Law (A&M) and Innocence Project of Texas (IPTX)
Registration is required to attend.
Join us for a landmark two-day conference celebrating 20 years of Actual Innocence programming.
This milestone event will focus on problems that still exist in the criminal justice system, exploring reasons why wrongful convictions happen and what can be done to prevent them in the future. We will be joined by leading innocence advocates, as well as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement professionals, forensic scientists, exonerees and scholars.
Our goal is to examine reforms that have worked and problems that remain, and to chart an ambitious course for the next generation of criminal justice reform.
This course was funded by a grant from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Who Should Attend?
All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Admission is free to some as described in the registration section.
Topics will include:
- A reminder of the leading causes of wrongful convictions—eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, unreliable or invalidated forensic evidence, untruthful informant testimony, ineffective assistance, tunnel vision and official misconduct.
- A consideration of nationally recognized best practices in law enforcement investigation, evidence collection, and eyewitness identification procedures to minimize errors and strengthen case integrity. (TCOLE credit eligible)
- An evaluation of the reliability and admissibility of forensic evidence and laboratory practices.
- A discussion of ethical and legal disclosure obligations.
- A look at the evolving role of Conviction Integrity Units, and post-conviction DNA and non-DNA litigation strategies in correcting and deterring wrongful convictions.
Schedule and Faculty
Thursday, May 14
8:00 am - Registration Opens / Light Breakfast and Refreshments
8:45am - Welcome and Opening Comments
- T.L. Cubbage, President of the Center for American and International Law
- Robert Ahdieh, Dean of the Texas A&M School of Law
- Leslie MacClean, Immediate Past President of the Innocence Project of Texas
- Mark Smith, Program Chair
9:00 am - An Example of Why We Are Here - The Austin Yogurt Shop Case (60min)
- Mike Ware, Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Texas and Director, Texas A&M Innocence Project
- Dan Jackson, Detective, Austin Police Department
- Trudy Strassburger, First Assistant District Attorney, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Austin, TX
10:00 am - False Confessions - Why Do They Happen? (60 mins)
- Professor Kyle Scherr, Central Michigan University
11:00 am - Break
11:15am - An Alternative to the Accusatorial Method: Evidence-Based Interviewing Employed in Houston (60 mins)
- Detective Shaun Sylvester, Houston Police Department
12:15pm - Perspectives from the Bench (Time includes 30 min lunch break)(Lunch Provided)
- Hon. Bert Richardson, Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
- Hon. David Newell, Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Interviewed by Gary Udashen, Anton and Udashen, Dallas, Texas
1:45pm - AI and AI - The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Actual Innocence Cases (60 mins)
- Barry Scheck, Co-Founder of the Innocence Project
2:45pm - The Experience of the San Antonio Four (60 min)
- Anna Vazquez
- Kristie Mayhugh
- Cassie Rivera Hurtado
- Liz Ramirez
3:45pm - Break
4:00pm - Eye Witness Identifications and Mistakes - Including a discussion of 'Nine Eye-Witness Practices That Experts Agree On (90 min)
- Professor Laura Smalarz, Arizona State University
- Mike Corley, former Chief of Police, Brownwood, Texas
- Bill Wirskye, First Assistant District Attorney, Collin County, Texas
5:30 pm - Recess
Friday, May 15
8:00 am - Registration Opens / Light Breakfast and Refreshments
8:30 am - Recent Legislative and Judicial Developments (45 min)
Gary Udashen, Udashen and Anton, Dallas, Texas
9:15 am - Cooperation and Collaboration Between the Defense and the Prosecution: Ethics, Strategy and More (Time includes one 15-minute break and 15 minutes of ethics credit) (120 min)
- Patricia Cummings, Former Conviction Integrity Unit Director for Dallas and Philadelphia
- Cynthia Garza, Former CIU Director, Dallas, Texas
- Cheryl Wattley, Professor, University of North Texas
- Valerie Newman, Wayne County, Michigan CIU Director
- Tracey Brame, Cooley Innocence Project, Michigan
- Russell Gold, Professor, University of Alabama School of Law
11:30 am - What Journalists Say, With Those Who Have Covered Wrongful Conviction Cases (60 min)
- Mike Hall, Contributor, Texas Monthly
- Rick Tulsky, Pulitzer Prize winner and co-founder of Injustice Watch
Interviewed by Mike Ware, Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Texas
12:30 pm - Keynote Speaker (Time includes 30 min lunch break)(Lunch Provided)
- Jim McCloskey, Founder, Centurion
Mr. McCloskey will be introduced by Gary Udashen, former President of the Innocence Project of Texas and exonerees Ben Spencer and Richard Miles
2:00 pm - Criminal Investigative Failures: Cognitive Biases, Organizational Traps, and Probability Errors (Time includes 45 minutes of ethics credit) (60 min)
Professor Kim Rossmo, Texas State University
3:00pm - Break
3:15 pm - Transparency in Forensic Science - Hot Button Issues (90 min)
Lynn Garcia, General Counsel, Texas Forensic Science Commission
4:45pm - Where Do We Go From Here: What We've Learned and What Remains (15 min)
Marissa Bluestine, Assistant Director, Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice
5:00 pm - Adjourn
MCLE Credit
This course is approved by the Texas State Bar for 14.5 hours of MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour of ethics.
In addition to Texas, after the program (if requested) CAIL will directly apply for course accreditation in the following states, as long as course materials and evaluations are not required: California, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Attorneys may be eligible to receive CLE credit through attorney self-submission in other states, as long as course materials and evaluations are not required to be submitted.
Overnight Accommodations
Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel
1701 Commerce Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
- Book by April 23, 2026
- Rates available May 14-16, 2026
- $149.00 USD per night
Tuition Waiver Policy
To request an application for a scholarship or tuition waiver, contact Melissa Hooper at mhooper@cailaw.org.
Other Information
Photo/Audio/Video Release
Registration for or attendance at this event acknowledges consent to be recorded or photographed. We reserve the right to use any photograph/video taken at our events, without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video. We may use the photograph/video in publications or other media material produced, used or contracted including but not limited to: brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, television, websites, annual reports, newsletters, etc. To ensure the privacy of individuals, images will not be identified using full names or personal identifying information without written approval from the photographed subject.
Cancellation Policy
Written cancellation must be received 5 business days prior to a program to receive a refund (Email: lgaspar@cailaw.org). After this date, no refunds, but substitution of attendees for this program will be permitted with prior approval. Registrants not entitled to a refund will receive the course materials. Note: Free registrants must attend the program to receive materials at no cost.
Nondiscriminatory Policy
The Center for American and International Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status in educational activities, scholarship programs or admissions.
Privacy Policy
We do not sell or rent information to any outside parties. By providing your information, you will receive postal and electronic communications from The Center for American and International Law (CAIL) in accordance with CAIL's Privacy Policy. If we co-sponsor a program with another organization, information may be shared between the parties. All such co-sponsors will be identified on the event details and registration page. At any point, you can opt-out or unsubscribe by selecting either link at the bottom of each email or call us at 972.244.3400.